What is same day access?
NHS North West London is introducing an ambitious but achievable plan to improve same day access to primary care for patients.
This approach was co-developed by 10 primary care networks (PCNs -6 individual PCNs and 1 whole borough) between August and December 2023. The approach is aligned to the recommendations set out in the national ‘Fuller Stocktake’ review of primary care.
The new approach sees the introduction of ‘same day access hubs’ across North West London. Patients contacting their GP surgery either online or by telephone may be directed to the same day access hub for triage to the right service for their needs. This is an approach that will evolve over time but ultimately, patients may have telephone, online, video or face to face contact with staff at the hub, who will direct them to the right place. This could be a community pharmacy, a routine appointment with their GP or an urgent appointment with their GP. Where appointments are not available with their own GP or the patient will get easier access, they may be directed to a neighbouring practice.
Hubs can be either physical or virtual and will usually be managed through the local PCNs, with each hub including a senior GP. All clinical decisions will have a senior clinical decision making and GP lead, with support from a multi-disciplinary team.
This approach ensures patients needing primary care services that day are more likely to be looked after in the quickest way. The plan is for this to apply to same day cases only.
Primary care access is the issue most consistently raised by North West London residents we speak to about health services. We have launched a public information campaign called We Are General Practice in order to explain how primary care is changing, the challenges it faces and some of the new roles and proposed solutions to improve access and care for patients. Read on
